Chapter 4 - The Unseen Ally
The breath caught in my throat. I stared at the glowing screen, my pulse racing against the rhythmic beep of the monitor.
Ethan's lawyer is posting bail.
How was that possible? He had almost murdered his wife and child! But then I remembered who Ethan was—a senior partner at a high-profile wealth management firm with deep connections, unlimited funds, and an army of defense attorneys on retainer. Without undisputed physical proof directly linking him to the administration of the poison, a judge had likely set a high bail, and Ethan had the capital to pay it without flinching.
I looked toward the glass window of my hospital room door. Outside, two uniformed hospital guards stood in the corridor, talking in low tones. One of them glanced through the glass at me, his eyes cold and unblinking.
They are working for her.
Panic, icy and sharp, sliced through the lingering fog of the poison. If Ethan was getting out, and if his accomplice Julia Vane had reach inside this hospital, Ryan and I were sitting ducks.
I quickly typed back to the unknown number:
"Who are you? Why are you helping me?"
The reply came almost instantly:
"I'm the reason you're still breathing. Ethan bought the poison through a shell company I monitor. I tried to stop him before he reached the house, but I was too late. I could only text you. If you want to live and keep Ryan safe, you need to leave the hospital NOW."
My hands shook so violently I nearly dropped the device. "I can't leave. Ryan is in the Pediatric ICU. He's weak."
"They are transferring Ryan to a private room on floor 4 in twenty minutes under the guise of 'specialized care.' That room has a restricted access lock. Once he's in there, you won't be able to reach him, and Julia's people will handle the rest. Look under your mattress."
I swallowed hard, turning my head toward the door. The guards were still turned away. I slid my hand beneath the edge of the stiff hospital mattress. My fingers brushed against a cold, hard object wrapped in paper.
I pulled it out.
It was an electronic security keycard with an administrator badge hanging from a lanyard, along with a small vial of clear liquid and a syringe.
"The vial is a counter-agent booster," the text read. "It will give you two hours of clarity and energy, but the crash will be hard. Inject it in your IV port. Put on the nurse scrubs inside the closet in your room. Get Ryan. Meet me in the basement loading dock. Green delivery van."
I stared at the syringe. It was a terrifying leap of faith. The mysterious texter could be an ally, or this could be the final stroke of Ethan's plan to finish what he started. But staying here, waiting for Ethan's legal team to smooth over a double attempted murder while corrupt security moved my son to an isolated room, was guaranteed death.
I looked at the closet. I looked at the door.
"I have to protect my boy," I whispered to the empty room.
I grabbed the syringe, swabbed the rubber port on my IV line, and injected the fluid.
Almost instantly, a surge of intense heat flushed through my veins. The dull, pounding fog in my brain snapped away like a torn veil. My vision sharpened with uncanny clarity, my heart beating with fierce, adrenaline-fueled energy. The weakness in my muscles burned away, replaced by a desperate, maternal strength.
I ripped the IV needle from my hand, pressing a cotton ball to the small bead of blood. Stepping out of bed, I crept to the closet. Inside hung a pair of dark navy hospital scrubs and a pair of rubber slip-on shoes.
I changed at lighting speed, tying my hair back into a tight bun and pulling a surgical mask over my face. I grabbed the administrator keycard, slipped my phone into my pocket, and opened the door just wide enough to peek outside.
May you like
The two security guards were engrossed in a conversation near the nurse's station.
Using the quiet soles of the rubber shoes, I slipped out of the room, keeping my head down, and moved swiftly toward the service stairwell at the end of the hall.
